Obituary of David Joseph Gramiak

December 16, 1946 – Battleford, Saskatchewan

July 18, 2023 - Calgary, Alberta

David Gramiak beloved husband of Gail Gramiak (nee Mogus) of Calgary, AB, passed away on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at the age of 76 years.

David was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 1946 to Steve and Mary Gramiak.  An only child, he left his home in Battleford to attend NAIT in Edmonton to study Materials Technology.  He graduated with honors as he did all his school life.  David met his future bride, Gail, in Edmonton while she was studying nursing.  They married in 1970 and shortly after moved to Calgary where David began his lifelong career in the oil business.  He first started in the testing and technical side of the chemical/oil business.  This started his extensive traveling with the company which suited David as he loved cars and being on the road.  This career morphed into a sales position in the chemical side of business which he excelled in and achieved numerous awards for top sales volume.  This sales position had him and his family located in Wainwright and Calgary.

In his retirement years, David enjoyed tinkering with his car, fixing things in and around the house, building garden projects and spending time with his daughters, their spouses and five grandsons.

Throughout his life, David was a man of many talents and passions.  He loved old cars and often spent time in the garage working on his orange Volkswagen Beetle. Always very creative, David crafted numerous wood projects such as coffee and end tables, wall candle holders, planters and trellises for the yard and a massive backyard deck that was often called “the landing pad". Everything David built over the years was done with care and precision.

In addition to classic cars and building projects, David had a passion for trains.  He collected model trains of various kinds and had them proudly on display in the home.  All the grandsons enjoyed the big train that circled the Christmas tree each year.

David also loved to travel.  Road trip anyone?  He enjoyed traveling by car along the Pacific coastline, Western United States and Canada.  A cowboy at heart, he loved Arizona, Las Vegas and other desert states. In later years he visited Mexico, Italy, Paris, England and a part of Germany.  This love of travel influenced a passion for the same in his daughters and their families.

Camping in the prairie provinces was another favourite recreation of David’s. However, camping was not roughing it but a home away from home.  Meals were not meager affairs on family camp trips…or the campfires! David was blamed of sloppily putting out a campfire one night because we woke up to ashes all over the campground and floating in the air. It was later that we all realized that Mount St. Helen’s erupted and was responsible for the ash cover - not his campfire.

David will always be remembered by his family and friends for his generous spirit, creativity and detailed craftsmanship, the gift of gab and story telling and most of all his uncanny sense of humour.  He went by many names - those being Biff, Uncle Biff, SuperDave and Dade.

David’s greatest love and sense of pride were his daughters Shelley ( Ola), Chrystal ( Brian) and his five grandsons; Remy, Ryder, Rokko (Chrystal); Zakkary and Karsten (Shelley).  David warmly welcomed Gail’s son Darrol (Bernice and daughters Tori and Kelli) into the family tribe and enjoyed many family gatherings with them.

The family is very grateful for the shows of love and support from family, friends and neighbors.

In living memory of David Gramiak, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Crowfoot, 82 Crowfoot Circle NW, Calgary, AB T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.